What it is:
This herb is thewhole plant ofLysimachia christinae Hance (family Primu-laceae), which is produced in most provinces south of theYangtze River, andthe herb produced in Sichuan, the best of its kind, is called Major Lysimachia. The herb is collectedin summer and autumn,dried in sunlight,cut to pieces, andused unprepared.

Property:
Sweet and tasteless in flavour, neutral in property, acting on the liver, gall-bladder, kidney and urinary bladder channels.

Effects:
Inducingdiuresis to treatstranguria, removing lithiasis, eliminat-ing dampness, reliev-ing jaundice, clear-ing away toxins and subduing swelling.

Used for:
1. Stranguriacaused by pathogenic heat or urolithiasis. This herb is theessential herb fortreating lithiasisof the liver, gall-bladder, kidney, urinary bladder and ureter. It can be decocted alone in large dosage and drunk as tea, orused together withclimbing fern sporeand chicken's gizzard membrane.

2. It is oftenused with orientalwormwood and capejas-mine fruit to treat jaundice due to damp-heat.

3. To treat boils,furuncles and otherpyogenic infectionson the body surface, fresh Lysimachia is pounded to obtain the juice for oral admi-nistration, for burns and scalds, its fresh juice is applied on the affected areas.

Dosage andadministration: 30-60g, decocted inwater for an oraldose; the dosage isdoubled if it isused fresh; appropriate amount for external use.